Simple unit movement request...

[jmp]

So here's an issue that's not likely to go away with whatever changes are made in Civ4...

You have a relatively slow, defenseless unit (say, a settler) traveling along land. So, you have another unit travel with it, providing at least some defense. Of course, in many cases, the defender unit is able to move much faster than the unit it's defending. If you rely on automatic movement, the defender will go ahead, negating the purpose of sending it in the first place.

So, how about a way to bind the units to each other? I'm not talking about the upside advantage of armies or anything like that. But what about being able to guarantee that they will always come up consecutively when you get around to them in your turn? Even better would be if you could order their moves together...
-JMP

[MrFun]

We're too spoiled with conveniences--it's time to toughen up without asking for such things as this.

[Zoid]

Stacked movement was implemented in PtW IIRC. Or even in one of the original Civ3 patches. So it will probably be there in Civ4 as well...

[Aramis]

Re: Simple unit movement request...

Originally posted by jmp
So, how about a way to bind the units to each other? -JMP

If I'm going to send a settler off to a predesignated location, and not do it manually, I'll pair the settler up with a unit with the same movement points (spearman, pike, musket, etc), then 'bind' them via the stack all units button above the unit display. 'Tis the easy way, and appeared 1st (iirc) in PtW.

[Zoid]

To clarify even further, it doesn´t have to be a unit with the same movement points. You can "bind" them together anyway. So if you have a horseman defender for instance, he will only go the amount of steps the settler is allowed to go, thus keeping the protection the entire way.

[vulture]

Even if you just use the 'j' key to issue the move command (which moves everything awake and with movement points left towards the destination), the stack only moves at the speed of the slowest unit.

Which has occasionally bitten me when I've not noticed an ancient cavalry amongst normal cavalry, and they all only use two movement points (and the faster units lose their extra ones).

[Zoid]

Well, you have stay alert

[Puupertti Ruma]

Yes!! Binding!! Yes!!

Now that sounded weirder than it should have...

But, seriously, binding your units to larger fighting forces is an anti-micromanagering thing in a big way. When Soren talked of the things familiar to RTS-players, maybe he ment ctrl-binding your units to squads, and drag-selecting and easy move orders. That really is a thing I would welcome from the RTS.

[Max Sinister]

Would be interesting for convoys to defend ships with goods better against subs. (The Allies did that way in WW1.)